Forgiveness…really?

It is a lie that we tell ourselves to hide the fact that most of us do not have any choice except forgiving our bullies, letting go of criminals and forgetting their heinous actions, and thinking of other ‘better’ things because we either do not have enough wherewithal to fight a legal battle, which gets prolonged most of the times, or enough muscle to seek other course of action.

I have often heard good-natured institutionally educated people say that they should not get involved in a fight with thugs as it is not befitting to the reputation of the former! The truth is, many of the genteel are afraid of fights and are not accustomed to such physical aggression, especially with those who earn their bread and butter by physical violence. So, it is not moralitythat stops them but sheer lack of physical capabilities.

This inefficiency to settle scores most of the times forces us to get philosophical about the whole matter. Now imagine, you have ample money and muscle, will you still forgive your enemy? Will you still depend on law alone to get justice or your pound of flesh that you deem to be your right? Most powerful people worldwide either build their own personal security force or hire one.

In the Asaram Bapu case, many witnesses who braved all odds and came forward got slaughtered. Some of them were dependent on government for their security. None of them could afford a private bodyguard. This is the reality. Their families will mourn their losses but will not be able to do much about it as they do not have the power. They are dependent on police and government. And the system too does not care for them.

Once my uncle told me that non-violence is not lack of violence but the decision to not use violence by a person who is skilled to use it. Most of us are not that person. We are too scared. We are too worried about the pain and retributions such an action will bring to our comfortable lives. Will big MNCs hire such a rebellious and ‘violent’ person? Will you choose to resign from your managerial post and seek justice?

And then there are those who are just too tired to fight or take on the powerful. They have lost all hope in the system and just want to lick their wounds and move on.